A histochemical study of cervical motor neurons and the posterior latissimus dorsi muscle in normal and dystrophic chickens

Abstract

A chromatolysis study, 14 to 21 days following denervation, showed the spinal cord representation of the nerve to the posterior latissimus dorsi muscle to be in the ventrolateral cell column between cervical ganglia 14 and 15. to characterize cevical neruos nt undergoing chromatolysis, histochemical stuies were done the cords of additional nondenervated animals. Staining reactions for beta-hydrocybutyrate dehydrogenase, succinic dehydrogenase and cholinesterase did not reveal any quantitative differences between motor neurons in cervical segments 14 and 15 of normal and dystrophic birds. Motor neurons are positive for beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and succinic dehydrogenase, but the surrounding neuropil is positive for the latter only. No pseudocholinesterase activity is found in the ventral horn cells, but true cholinesterase is present in most of the neurons...